PEORIA — The prevailing sound that pierced through the bitter cold air Sunday evening at the Landmark Apartments was the sound of children cooing and crying during a vigil for their father.

More than 30 people huddled outside the Landmark Apartments off Martin Luther King Drive in honor of Justin Thompson, who was gunned down Wednesday in that same location. Family and friends lit candles to mourn Thompson's death and pray for the end of gun violence in the community.

"I want to thank everyone for showing their love and support," said Tish Sturdivant, one of Thompson's sisters. "I want to thank the community for helping us catch the killers. My brother was a wonderful person, as you can tell by the turnout here."

The Rev. Harvey Burnett presided over the vigil and let friends and family speak their memories of Thompson over a microphone. Thompson was remembered as a good father and someone extremely close to his family who also gained many friends through the jobs he held throughout his life. Burnett pleaded to the crowd of people that Thompson's death was already one too many for the community and that the entire city needed to help prevent further loss of life in Peoria for the rest of the year.

Carrie Hayes, who said she was Thompson's best friend, was one of the last to take the microphone but gave an impassioned speech.

"In 2012, I did the anti-violence campaign and I walked through these streets every weekend," Hayes said. "And I was raising the message that we need to take and put these guns down. I lost my brother to the penitentiary, and now I've lost my best friend to the streets."

Thompson's sisters — Sturdivant and Jasmyne Providence — also told those at the vigil that the family is trying to raise money for Thompson's funeral arrangements. A fund is being established at the beginning of the week.